Title 21 — Public Officers and Employees

(a) Any person who is employed by any person, firm, or corporation in the State of Arkansas shall be granted a leave of absence, upon the election of any such employee to a public office in the State of Arkansas, or upon appointment by the Governor of any such person to a board o…

Any employee of the Office of Child Support Enforcement who was formerly employed by a public contractor with a contract in effect as of January 1, 1998, with the office and who moved from employment with the public contractor to employment with the office without a break in serv…

(a) An employee of the state, a city of the first class, a city of the second class, an incorporated town, a county, or a school district who is a member of:(1) The United States Civil Air Patrol or the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and desires to take a leave of absence fo…

(a) All employees of the State of Arkansas, as defined in § 21-4-203, who have been rated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or its predecessor to have incurred a military service-connected disability and have been scheduled by the department to be reexamined or …

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Employee” means a full-time employee of the State of Arkansas or any branch, department, agency, board, bureau, including the Bureau of Legislative Research, or commission of any branch of state government;(2) “Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program” …

(a) (1) A paid firefighter for the state or any political subdivision of the state who has completed five (5) or more years of employment as a paid firefighter shall be granted a minimum of one thousand four hundred fifty-six (1,456) hours of paid leave upon the initiation of tre…

This subchapter may be referred to and cited as the “Uniform Attendance and Leave Policy Act”.

It is the purpose and intent of this subchapter to establish a uniform attendance and leave policy for all affected state employees of agencies, boards, and commissions covered by the provisions of this subchapter.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Agency head” or “agency director” means the executive head of an agency, department, board, commission, bureau, council, or other entity of the state;(2) “Annual leave” means vacation time with pay but does not include compensatory time;(3) “Ca…

(a) (1) Except for the employees under subdivision (a)(2) of this section, each permanent or probationary employee shall be entitled to annual leave with full pay computed on the basis of the following schedule for each complete month of service including the probationary period:…

(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this section, whenever an employee is separated from the state agency by reason of resignation, layoff, termination of appointment, or dismissal, the unused annual leave to his or her credit as of his or her last duty date shall…

(a) (1) Sick leave with pay shall be granted to employees when they are incapacitated for the performance of their duties by sickness, injury, or for medical, dental, or optical treatment.(2) Sick leave may not be granted for slight illness or indisposition not incapacitating the…

(a) (1) (A) Except for the employees under subdivision (a)(1)(B) of this section, each permanent or probationary employee shall be entitled to sick leave with full pay computed on the basis of one (1) day for each complete month of service including the probationary period.(B) Ea…

(a) (1) Employees who are absent from work due to a temporary occupational injury or illness and who are entitled to workers' compensation benefits, upon proper application, may utilize their accrued sick leave as a supplement to their workers' compensation benefits so as to rece…

(a) Maternity leave shall be treated as any other leave for sickness or disability. Accumulated sick leave and annual leave, if requested by the employee, shall be granted for maternity use, after which leave without pay may be used. (b) Catastrophic leave under § 21-4-214 may be…

(a) (1) Upon application in writing to and written approval by the agency director, a state employee may be eligible to obtain a continuous leave of absence without pay up to six (6) months unless:(A) Granted in accordance with § 21-4-212; or(B) The agency director has determined…

(1) A permanent employee who is given out-service training may be granted educational leave by the agency director on the following basis:(1) The employee will continue in the service of the agency for a period of time as statutorily required or, in the absence of a specific law,…

(a) (1) Employees who are members of the armed forces of this state or any other state, including without limitation the National Guard or a reserve component or auxiliary of the United States Armed Forces, shall be granted leave at the rate of fifteen (15) days per calendar year…

(a) An employee serving as a juror in state or federal court shall be entitled to full compensation in addition to any fees paid for such services, and such services or necessary appearances in any court shall not be counted as annual leave. (b) If an employee is subpoenaed as a …

(a) (1) The Department of Shared Administrative Services shall have administrative responsibility for developing, implementing, and maintaining the statewide catastrophic leave bank program.(2) (A) Each state agency shall participate in a catastrophic leave bank to be administere…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Bone marrow donor” means a person from whose body bone marrow is taken to be transferred to the body of another person;(2) “Organ” means a human organ that is capable of being transferred from the body of a person to the body of another person, in…

(a) As used in this section:(1) (A) “Child” means a person enrolled in an educational program for prekindergarten through grade twelve (preK-12) who is of the following relation to a state employee:(i) Natural child;(ii) Adopted child;(iii) Stepchild;(iv) Foster child;(v) Grandch…

A.C.A. § 21-4-217Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) As used in this section, “child” means a person who is eighteen (18) years of age or younger. (b) (1) Except for an employee employed in a position included under subsection (e) of this section, each employee is eligible for forty (40) hours per calendar year of foster care l…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Active service” or “active duty” shall include the period during which a person in military service is absent from duty on account of sickness, wounds, leave, or other lawful cause;(2) “Military service” shall signify federal service on active …

(a) Subject to the provisions of this subchapter, the following officers shall be granted leave of absence from their respective offices and duties to perform active military service:(1) State officials;(2) County officials;(3) County school officials;(4) Municipal officials;(5) …

(a) Officers who are authorized by law to appoint deputies shall appoint capable and competent deputies to take over and perform the duties of the office while the officers are on leave. (b) The deputy shall be required to furnish good and sufficient bond in the same sum as requi…

(a) (1) Any elected officer who is not authorized by law to appoint deputies to perform the duties of the office which he or she holds, except circuit judges and members of the General Assembly, shall select a competent and qualified person to perform the duties of the office dur…

A.C.A. § 21-4-305Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) Whenever a judge of a circuit court shall volunteer or be called into the military service of the United States, the office shall be filled during such leave of absence by the election of an emergency circuit judge by a majority of all regular licensed and practicing attorney…

(a) In the event the term of office of an official on leave shall expire during leave, the office of that official shall be filled by election or appointment as may be required by law. (b) However, the official on leave shall have the right to qualify and become a candidate for s…

(a) In the discretion of their employer, all employees of the state, counties, municipalities, or political subdivisions of Arkansas may be granted leave of absence under the terms of this subchapter and upon leave of absence’s being granted to officials under this subchapter. (b…

(a) Any public employee who may be granted a leave of absence under the provisions of this subchapter and who serves for not more than four (4) years, plus any period of additional service imposed pursuant to law shall be entitled, upon release from service under honorable condit…

(a) During a leave of absence, an official shall be entitled to preserve all seniority rights, efficiency rating, promotional status, and retirement privileges. (b) The period of active military service shall, for purposes of computations to determine whether such persons may be …

(a) Should any person appointed to fill the office or perform the duties of an employee to whom a leave of absence has been granted die, resign, or in any manner or for any cause vacate the office or position to which he or she was appointed, the Governor, or person whose duty it…

(a) The deputies or other persons appointed to fill the office or position of the official or employee during a leave of absence under the provisions of this subchapter shall receive the same compensation and shall be paid in the same manner as the official or employee whose duti…

(a) It shall not be required that a commission issue to any person appointed to fill any office or position of one who has been granted a leave of absence under the provisions of this subchapter. (b) Every person so appointed shall be required to take and subscribe to the same oa…

This subchapter shall remain in full force and effect in the event that subsequent legislation relative to vacations is enacted, unless it is specifically repealed.

(a) It shall be the duty of the officer in charge of each agency, department, commission, or board of the State of Arkansas, immediately upon the death of any employee thereof, to cause to be ascertained the number of days of vacation which have accrued and which have not been ta…

(a) In the event that the salary of a deceased employee is not fixed on the basis of a day, then the daily rate of pay shall be determined by dividing the monthly salary by thirty (30) or the annual salary by three hundred sixty (360), as the case may be. (b) (1) The number of da…

When a person dies while actively employed by any agency of the State of Arkansas, the deceased's estate or the person entitled to receive payment shall receive payment from the state agency for all unused annual leave and holidays which had accrued to the deceased at the time of…

(a) The Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission may pay all accrued and unused annual, holiday, and sick leave to the estate of a wildlife officer or game warden who dies in the line of duty. (b) A payment under subsection (a) of this section is subject to budgetary constraints a…

(a) The State Highway Commission may pay all accrued and unused annual, holiday, and sick leave to the estate of an officer of the Arkansas Highway Police Division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation who dies in the line of duty. (b) A payment under subsection (a) of thi…

(a) Upon retirement or death, any employee or beneficiary of any employee of any agency of the State of Arkansas shall receive compensation for accumulated unused sick leave as follows:(1) If the employee has accumulated at least fifty (50) days but fewer than sixty (60) days of …

A.C.A. § 21-4-502Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) The provisions of §§ 21-4-501 and 21-4-504 apply to:(1) Employees of the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission;(2) Employees of the Arkansas Department of Transportation; and(3) Employees of all agencies of this state whether in the executive, legislative, or judicial branc…

All state agencies are encouraged to participate in the Department of Finance and Administration's state leave accounting system.

(a) At its discretion, a state-supported institution of higher education may compensate an employee of the state-supported institution of higher education for accumulated unused sick leave by providing to the employee the same compensation for accumulated unused sick leave under …